Solar Power World

MARS Energy Group announced it has acquired Citadel Roofing & Solar, a contractor based in Northern California. The acquisition adds more than 1,000 employees to the MARS platform. The partnership expands the MARS presence across California and further strengthens its integrated residential roofing and solar platform, the company says.

The California Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would create a remote inspection process for home energy projects like solar that is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. AB 1738 was authored by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale), chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee. If enacted, homeowners or their contractors can request remote inspections home solar and battery storage, heat pump water heaters, heat pump HVAC systems and new roofs.

President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency prohibiting the use of energy transmission technologies produced in a select group of countries on the grounds of national security risk to American infrastructure. Trump issued an executive order yesterday prohibiting imports and installation of “bulk-power” technologies used in electrical distribution moving forward.

A commercial battery energy storage system (BESS) can be electrically complete, energized and free of active faults and still refuse to deliver the power an operator expects. For example, a 500-kW system stops at 350 kW despite the inverter nameplate saying 500 kW. Nothing on site has failed.

SMA Solar Technology AG is introducing a portfolio of data center power infrastructure solutions for AI and hyperscale applications. Built on SMA’s utility-scale technology platform and decades of grid integration expertise, the portfolio will help to accelerate time-to-power while delivering reliable and scalable operation.

Small-scale solar system services company Otovo will now have a presence in Hawaii after an acquisition of PV Hawaii LLC is completed. PV Hawaii, founded in 2016 and based in Oahu, provides solar repair, warranty and inspection services and panel cleaning for residential and commercial customers, and is certified across 10 major equipment brands. Otovo is acquiring the brand along with Mr. Elektro in Norway for a combined purchase price of $4.6 million.

More than 10,800 K-12 schools representing more than 7 million students across the United States now use solar energy, helping schools lower electricity costs, invest more resources in students and strengthen their communities, according to a new report from clean energy nonprofit Generation180. Opterra Energy Services recently completed solar installations for Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUSD) in California.

A U.S. District Court has found that component manufacturer Voltage did infringe on patents owned by Shoals Technologies Group when selling large-scale solar cabling devices in the United States and awarded Shoals over $96.38 million in damages. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina has also placed a preliminary injunction against the manufacture, distribution or sale of Voltage’s infringing products.

ForeFront Power is wrapping up a solar and storage project for the County of Ventura, California. A 5.8-MW solar canopy is being paired with a 1.9-MW battery at the County Government Center. The megawatt-hour capacity of the battery was not detailed.

Northern Sun Energy, a solar and storage EPC firm, has begun construction on two solar projects for developer Seaboard Solar in Waterford and Boonville, New York. The 23-MWDC project portfolio is supported by NYSERDA grants and will employ local laborers. Project sites in New York State are being prepared for new community solar arrays.